Tessaiga
Tessaiga (鉄砕牙, also known as Tetsusaiga) is a fictional sword in the anime and manga series InuYasha, wielded by half-human, half-yōkai (hanyō) InuYasha. The kanji, directly translated, means "iron-crushing fang".http://bisqwit.iki.fi/jutut/tessaiga.html It is the oppsosite of Sessshomauru's inherited sword, Tenseiga. Out of the two, Tetsusaiga is "the sword of death", while Tenseiga is "the sword of life." In the English adaptations of InuYasha, Tessaiga is called Tetsusaiga (or Tetsaiga) due to an error in translation in the early days of the manga when the tiny っ (tsu) kana (which indicates a glottal stop, or a doubling of the consonant that follows it) was misread as a full-sized つ (tsu) kana, altering the romanization and pronunciation of the word. Both Tetsusaiga and Tessaiga can come from the kanji; the proper spelling depends on how the name is pronounced. The proper romanization is Tessaiga. By the time Viz, the company that translates the anime and manga, had realized the error it was too late. (See Romanization for more spelling issues like this.) The swordsmith Totosai created the Tessaiga from a fang of the daiyokai the Inu no Taishou, the father of InuYasha and Sesshomaru. In its 'docile' form, the sword looks like a regular (and rather battered) katana. When wielded properly, it transforms into a weapon roughly the size of a car bumper that somewhat resembles a falchion. The Tessaiga will only transform if the user cares for humans and if the user has yoki, this means that humans can never wield it because they do not possess yoki. The Tessaiga has the power to slay 100 demons in one swing by striking the Wind Scar, it also has the ablitiy to absorb the technique or skill of a strong yokai that is defeated with the sword. The Inu no Taishou used the Tessaiga to steal Shishinki's Meidou Zangetsuha technique. Some time after dog general's death a barrier was put on Tessaiga to prevent full yokai from being able to touch it, and the sword was hiddened inside his grave in the world between the living and afterlife. Sesshomaru searched for the sword some time after his father's death, but had no luck in finding it, finally he asked InuYasha about the Tessaiga's location. After a series of events both brothers travel to their father's grave to claim the Tessaiga. Sesshomaru is unable to touch the sword, InuYasha is not only able to wield it, but uses it to defeat Sesshomaru. After the battle InuYasha becomes the master of Tessaiga and begins to use it to aid him in battle. The Tessaiga was stolen from InuYasha a few times. Sesshomaru took the Tessaiga by baypassing it's barrier by using a human arm with a Shikon fragment in it. Naraku blacked mailed Sango into stealing the sword for him, by threatening Kohaku's life. After life threatening battles InuYasha was able to retake the Tessaiga back. However, in a confrontation with Goshinki, a detachment from Naraku, the Tessaiga was broken in half. The sword's creator Totosai was able to repair the Tessaiga, but in doing so he used one of InuYasha's fangs. The result is that Tessaiga now became dependent on the strength of InuYasha himself - making the weapon heavier and more difficult for InuYasha to wield. After much training, InuYasha learns how to use a greater power created from the convergence of multiple Wind Scar attacks (Kaze no Kizu) from a powerful opponent, that is known as Backlash Wave. Somehow its sheath can 'summon' the sword, and the Tessaiga itself has great magical power - it can act of its own accord even when InuYasha has fallen unconscious. Tessaiga also binds the powerful demon blood that came from InuYasha's father which can transform him into a yokai. InuYasha uses the Tessaiga's absorbing ablitiy to upgrade the sword with new powers that will help him slay Naraku, for example, barrier shattering (from Shiori's barrier orb) and Kongōsōha (diamond spear attack, from Hosenki (Hōsenki). In the third movie of the InuYasha franchise, the combined powers of the Tessaiga and the Tenseiga succeeded in defeating the Songa (Sō'nga), the sword of world conquest, which was stronger than either of them alone. Forms and Special Ablities Katana Form *'Anti-demon barrier': InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father put a protective barrier within the sword, so that pure demons will be repelled. InuYasha, being a half-human half-demon, can wield the sword fine. As a powerful demon, Sesshomaru can wield the sword for a short period of time. Humans can wield the Tessaiga in its untransformed (katana, Japanese for sword) state. True Form *'Kenatsu': is the special ablitiy that allows the Tessaiga to cut opponents without toching them. InuYasha uses the ablitiy before he learns the Kaze no Kizu. * Wind Scar (Kaze no Kizu, 風の傷): Special attack that kills 100 demons with one strike. Inuyasha took some time to master this technique, and didn't even know of its strength at first, until Sesshomaru showed it to him. * Backlash Wave (Bakuryūha, 爆流破): Tessaiga's ougi (or ultimate technique). Uses the opponent's strong demonic forces and unleashing the Wind Scar at the right point, the demon's energy will be reflected back with the added power of the Wind Scar. Power is amplified many folds. Red Tessaiga *'Barrier Shattering': Gained from Shiori's orb for saving her from her grandfather and his bat yōkai, this technique completely shatters barriers (including Naraku's for a while). When used, Tessaiga glows red. Only the strongest barriers cannot be shattered by this attack. Diamond Tessaiga *'Diamond Spear' (Kongōsōha, 金剛槍破): Attack gained from Hōsenki after Naraku had used a shard of the jewel to corrupt him and caused him to attack InuYasha. The diamond shards are able to pierce Naraku's stronger barriers. Dragon Scale Tessaiga *'Yoki Absorbption': Having defeated Dakki, Tessaiga gains the ablitiy to absorb a opponent's yoki directly. InuYasha being hanyo limits the amount of yoki the sword can absorb before regurgitating it back on the user, until Tessaiga asborbs senki which purfifies the yoki and stopping the regurgitation. *'Yoketsu Cutting': After realizing the true nature of the Tessaiga is to cut InuYasha learns to see yoketsu and uses the Dragon Scale Tessaiga to cut it, instantly destroying a normal yokai, beings created of many different yokai like Naraku and Moryomaru have several yoketsu and cutting them will destroy parts of their body. Black Tetsusaiga *Meidou Zangetsuha: This technique was attained when Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga broke on to Tetsusaiga. The original technique creates a path to hell by creating a giant circle that can suck anyone in it's path. When InuYasha completly masters the Black Tessaiga the Meidou Zangetsuha changes to symbolize the Tessaiga's true nature a sword that cuts. The new Meidou Zangetsuha can create a single black blade or several black blades that not only cut a opponent but have their remains sucked up into the path, thus technique keeps the original power intact while adding the Tessaiga's cutting nature. Category:Weapons